Newsletter

Webmaster: Launching e-mail campaigns that work

Over the years, e-mail campaigns and the use of e-mail to promote, sell and inform potential and existing customers has grown in popularity and use.

According to Pew Internet and American Life Project data from April 2009, 90 percent of U.S. Internet users have gone online and sent or read e-mail. A May 2009 report by technology market research firm The Radicati Group estimates there are 1.4 billion users in 2009, and that's expected to rise to 1.9 billion by 2013.

While social networking such as Facebook and Twitter are important to getting your marketing message out , an effective e-mail program is equally important.

Why not?

-- It's less expensive than traditional forms of marketing, such as direct mail.

-- You can reach a potentially huge audience.

-- E-mail has better return on investment than nearly any other form of marketing.

-- E-mails arrive almost instantaneously, unlike regular mail.

-- It's proactive: It lets you push the message to an eager audience.

-- You can test and measure reactions to your message easily.

-- It's interactive: You can send e-mail in response to Web site visitors' actions.

Developing an effective e-mail campaign is not hard, but it does require strict discipline and attention to detail. Nothing is worse than to send an e-mail out to your address list and learn later that you had misspelled words and grammatical errors. Yuk!

I suggest you follow these steps in preparing your e-mail campaign:

-- What is the purpose of your e-mail campaign? Is it to inform the public of a new product or service? Is it to sell a current service or product? Is it just to keep your new clients informed?

Defining the purpose is a critical first step and should be the single action that you spend the most time considering. The purpose sets the stage for writing great "content" and "value" statements.

-- Once you have clearly defined the purpose, you can start to write your copy. IMPORTANT: Valuable content is a key factor in developing your e-mail piece.

Remember, the use of bullet statements and short sentences are key to get the reader to view your "call to action" page(s). Ask yourself "does my message create a perception of value in the eyes of the readers?" If not, start again or hire someone who is skilled in creating great content and developing the value ideas.

-- Always place a "CALL- TO-ACTION" component(s) - call this toll free number, click here to order, register here or whatever you are using - or just a simple "click through" on your e-mail.

A key tip is to position your call-to-action component as close to the top of your e-mail head and repeat, adding the call-to-action component throughout your e-mail outline.

-- Writing a concise statement of what your are offering and using this as your SUBJECT line is effective in getting the reader to click through and read your e-mail.

As an example, if I wanted to introduce a new computer service such as computer security check - checking a customer's computer to insure that it is secure and has the appropriate software to protect the system and its network - I could use the old way of introducing this service by placing in the SUBJECT line "Computer Security Services."

This is generic, and I doubt I would get many people to click through to read my message. But what if I changed the SUBJECT line to read "Are you tired of worrying about the security of your computer?"

If I saw this, I would be tempted to see what the writer was stating because all of us are worried about our computer security and the network that supports it. Also, consider using your company or personal name if the potential reader knows of your company or you (lends creditability).

-- Find and use a professional looking e-mail format that "sparkles" and allows you to set your e-mail to be seen as a newsletter or graphic presentation.

In a previous article, I suggested several companies that allow you to design your own e-mail, newsletter, etc. Find one you like and use it.

Some of you may ask "What if I don't want to use this type of format? Which is better.... HTML or Plain Text? " The answer is that if you are sending your e-mail to the general public, HTML is best, but if your message is going to "technical" readers, use text because they just want to read the facts and move on.

-- Remember, the goal of an email is not to sell an item. It is to get a CLICK. Structure every word to get them to click through to the page that is optimized for conversion. Optimize the e-mail to get the click; optimize the landing page to get the sale.

-- Measure the results. It is important to determine the impact of your e-mail campaign. Some software (e-mail) companies have a built-in tracker that allows you to view the number of click throughs and other valuable information.

The industry standard for average clicks is from 4 percent to 20 percent. However, new techniques and technology improvements, especially the use of interactive features, is changing how we view and measure the "click" statistic.

I read the other day in a technology magazine that "e-mail is the killer application in the current technology age," and I fully agree and that an effective e-mail strategy can and will improve your sales or whatever goal you are seeking to obtain.

Remember, it all starts with a PURPOSE and VALUABLE CONTENT.

Chuck St. Arnaud is the chairman and CEO of an award-winning Internet company, an adjunct professor at Savannah State University and a frequent speaker on the Internet. Contact him at chuck@sysconn.com or call him at 912-356-9920